Wall Street Journal front page, August 28, 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document lofK insurance Cos. provided S371,510, say­ cleaning up and testing. What followed Su far, residents in 3,160 apart- newsroom director for the Independenl ing that would be sufficient. The coopera­ was a free-for-all. ments-a little more than 10% of those Association of Publishers' Employees. tive's directors, who all live in the com­ . City officials distributed sketchy eligible-have asked for EPA help. Mr. says. "People have been reassured by the plex, decided to fight, filing a complaint , - jiuidelines but did little to enforce them. Jain is one of those, but he worries his results of the testing on our own space so with the New York State Department of In­ The recommendations included, for ex­ building .won't get a thorough overall far. but they remain wary about condi­ surance. In the meantime, the cleaning ample. wiping down surfaces with a wet treatment. "We should be getting -a tions elsewhere in our building and in hasn't even started. The co-op directors I'ag but didn't specify how to tell if poten­ proper asbestos cleanup like the corpo­ neighboring buildings." Melissa Coley, a fear that to do so would imply that they had tial hazards had been eliminated. rate tenants are getting." he says. spokeswoman tor Brookfield Properties accepted the lower insurance payment as EPA officials in New York say they In addition to American Express, com­ Corp., owner of the Dow Jones building. adeiiuate. The directors also say they are didn't take the initiative indoors because panies such as Merrill Lynch & Co.. Bank says. "We have directly addressed the confused about whether a government neither FEMA nor New York City asked it of New York Co.. Royal Bank of Canada concerns of all of our tenants and con­ agency might be willing to do a portion of to. Bonnie Bellow, an EPA spokeswoman and Dow Jones & Co., publisher of this tinue to monitor the air quality in our the cleaning. in New York, says the regional office had newspaper, say they have cleaned and buildings." Some Southbridge owners have had its hands full for months focusing on the tested extensively. The potentially dan­ lb protect against asbestos or other more success with their individual units. outdoor cleanup. "As the outdoor condi­ gerous substance of greatest concern is toxins that might be lingering in the Gregory and Bonnie Cooper, who own a tions began to improve, and it became asbestos, a fibrous material used in fire downtown air. Brookfield, which also two-bedroom, llth-floor apartment, re­ cle:ir that tfiere was confusion and con- ceived $5,000 from their home insurer, a cern about any residual dust that might unit of Chubb Corp., to hire a profes­ remain in people’s homes, we proceeded sional cleaner. When tests In April found with the development of a plan for clean­ The main blame for the helter-skelter indoor asbestos on their previously cleaned ter­ ing up dust indoors.” Ms. Bellow says. race at levels higher than normal-al­ I For its part. FEMA says it deferred to cleanup of downtown Manhattan can be traced though still below EPA guidelines-the t Coopers persuaded the insurance com­ the EPA. "We were waiting for them to tell us there was a problem with indoor to the shuffling of responsibility among pany to pay another $4,000 for a second 1 cleaning. But Ms. Cooper remains ner­ air quality." says Brad Gair. the senior FEMA official on the scene. Geoffrey government agencies. vous. "Even if I have my terrace cleaned. 1 my next door neighbor hasn't, so I Ryan, a spokesperson with the city’s t haven’t been using my terrace at all,” DEP, says his agency "worked coopera- 1 retardant in the Trade Center that can owns the tower housing RBC Capital Mar­ she says. They have requested a third tively from day one with EPA.” The city 11 cause lung disease and cancer if there is kets. says it installed filter systems to scrubbing from the EPA. advised landlords they had to clean build­ V ings according to :i "strict protocol," Mr. exposure for a period of years. Others block more than 957( of particles measur­ Kundoni Tests g Ryan says, "if there was a problem, we include pulverized cement and glass, ing one micron or larger. The same was S which can cause respiratory problems, done at many other large commercial The agency announced this month e reviewed il." and lead and mercury from incinerated buildings in the vicinity. Before Sept. U. that in addition to cleanups-on-request, it S Beginning last fall, the EPA came un­ would also randomly test 251) apartments der escalating pressure from residents computers and lighting, which can cause the standard for corporate offices was s nervous-system damage. between 60% and 85%. for lead, mercury and dioxin, even c and local politicians who argued that as though its scientists believe the amounts the country’s premier environmental To eliminate asbestos, big companies By contrast, at Stuyvesant High tl of those toxins emitted by the disaster c agency, it ought to oversee all cleaning. have stripped out carpets, cubicle walls, School, four blocks north of Ground Zero. weren’t enough to threaten public heallh. In May, eight months "After Sept. 11, the ceiling tiles and upholstered furniture. Ihe New York City Department of Educa­ w The EPA says it will also test apartments EPA finally responded by offering to re­ American Express says it threw out tion upgraded classroom filters to block P that have already been cleaned. move any asbestos from 30,000 resi­ enough furniture and floor covering to fewer than 40% of such tiny particles. Jane Kenny, the agency’s regional ad­ dences in lower Manhattan. Thal work fill a football field piled five feet high. Students had moved back into the large. ministrator, says these steps are suffi­ k will begin in September. RBC Capital Markets, a unit of Royal academically elite public school in Octo­ cient, in light of the lack of evidence, so h But to get a cleanup, tenants or own­ Bank of Canada, which occupies five ber. two months before the filters were far, of long-term heallh dangers. "We SI ers must ask the EPA to come in. That floors of a black tower on the eastern improved and while trucks were still fer­ want to respect the rights of the individu­ tl means while one apartment may be edge of the Trade Center site, say's it rying dusty debris to barges in the Hud­ als and allow them to decide whether oi" even vacuumed hundreds of thousands of son River just 50 yards away. f{ cleaned, the nearby elevator shaft or unit not to ask for the cleaning or testing,” tt next door may not, creating the possibil­ individual pieces of paper. "So here were these capitalists pro­ Ms. Kenny says, if the agency suspects ity of recontaniination. The agency will Wall Street Journal employees began tecting their employees, and we have vul­ that a building is significantly contami­ fl clean hallways and lobbies only if asked returning to the Dow Jones offices adja­ nerable young kids who received less pro­ nated. il will urge the owner to request a Si by a landlord. The KPA isn"t offering to cent to the Trade Center site in late July. tection at school. 1 find that outrageous," more Ihurough cleanup, she adds. G clean small businesses or schools. Tom Lauricella. a Journal reporter and says Marilena Christodoulou. until re- But some residents aren't satisfied. 01 Wendy Tabb, a 3S-year-oid jeweler who w rents an apartment at 105 Duane Street ei that once looked out on the Twin Towers tv In Certain Circles, Zeros Are a Cell-Number Must from seven blocks to the north, says she and her husband did only normal dusting al nt Continued F'runi Fiist Puye discuss the numbers or how they are and vacuuming in the weeks after Sept. is the contract, then they gave me a 2460. 1 day he dialed the cell number of his II. She says they were lulled by reassur­ w distributed. hate it!" says Mr. Zampolli. He retains dreams-one containing :i total of five ing statements from EPA Administrator pi But folks in the trenches-independent the number only because it works well in ei zeros-and was thrilled to hear a voice at Christie Tbdd Whitman and then-Mayor sales agents who help carriers sell new ac- the Hamptons. A spokeswoman for Veri­ ihe other end. Rudolph Giuliani that the neighborhood's counts-know firsthand how customers zon said, "We try to accommodate every N' " A guy picked up, and I just offered air was safe. crave the sound of round. ""People used to customer request." him money," says Mr. Painter. "He want their names spelled out. ’’ says Kevin Soon, however, the Tabbs say they be­ In November, that may be harder to do. gan getting skin rashes and bloody til thought 1 was kidding, but we agreed on Smith, an independent agent in Washing­ That's when new federal rules are set to go a price. I drove to his office before he ton, D.C. "Now the most requested and noses. George Tabb, a 40-year-old pc into effect, and carriers will get new num­ freelance writer and musician, says he Gl could change his mind and paid him in hardest thing to get is a triple or a double cash." A few hours and $5,1100 later, the ber blocks of 1,000 instead of 10,000. Agents had trouble sleeping because his asthma sh zero number.” Once a carrier releases a will then be forced to cherry-pick numbers number was formally transferred to Mr. new exchange, Mr. Smith says he '"jumps was badly exacerbated. Painter’s name. from a much smaller pool. at on it” to get as many round numbers as pos­ In October, their landlord, the large Others have relied on old-fashioned Some charismatic types don't look real-estate firm Related Cos., hii"ed a con­ tit sible. He’s been known to hook up his nag­ charm. Sauntering into a cellphone store­ ging buddies first. for more from a phone number. Hud­ sultant to test for toxins in the hallways pa front, Elizabeth Fenner, an editor at For­ dled with friends recently at Bungalow and lobby and in apartments of tenants ab Kevin Witt, an actor and personal tune, offered to change carriers it she 8, a Manhattan nightclub, actor Matt who requested it. Related told residents pa trainer in Washington, D.C., is one such could get a round number. To boost her buddy beneficiary. He says that his "OO” Damon laughed at the idea of having a the tests didn't show any dangerous con­ odds of success with a male salesman, "I snazzy round cellphone number. "That's tamination by asbestos or other sub­ mi number, which appears on his photo-em­ mi flirted,” says the proud new member of blazoned business cards, looks profes­ ridiculous," said Mr. Damon, who has stances. Some residents say they aren't the "00” club. She says that the number never owned a cellphone himself and worrying. "People have worse problems re: sional and turns on women. "When I tell has her friends seething with envy. said he had just been forced to rent than this,” says Vas Kallas, a rock-band thi them my number and they punch it into That’s part of the appeal. "People are one. That number, he said, was utterly guitarist whose apartment faces away sh: their cellphone, that’s when I get, "wow!” always like, 'How did you get that num- forgettable. wh he says. "It’s definitely an advantage." from Ground Zero. tin "You get greedy.” says Simon But with their symptoms continuing, lisi JournalLInk: Read selected ex­ Sproule, communications vice president rw'sjl k .itnnj cerpts from the new anlholwpi the Tabbs in November decamped with air Folks in the trenches of Jaguar, the car company now owned “Floulinv Off the Paoe: The Best their Yorkshire terrier. Scooter, to Mr. rit; by Ford Motor Co. "Once yon have a dou­ Tabb's stepfather's apartment in Green­ mi of The Wull Street Jouriiiirs 'Middle Col­ know firsthand how ble 0 number you want a triple 0. You get umn' ” lit WSJbaoks.com/floatlng. wich Village, 20 blocks farther north. The in- zero envy, and that’s a little scary.” next month, they and other tenants hired ket customers crave the Michael Bacco, a real-estate devel­ an industrial hygienist, who collected cai oper based in Los Angeles is also one dust samples in a hallway duct on the sound of round. zero short of true nirvana. "A number CBO Study Projects 10th floor. One sample showed 5511,001) as­ div with three 'zeros is probably 50% more bestos fibers per square centimeter, a ket substantial,” he says. level the e.xpert described as above nor­ crii ber'.^' " says New York cosmetic dentist Mr. Zampolli, the owner of ID Model Management, spent "hours and hours,” Much Wider Gaps mal for an urban environment, though lower than the amount that legally re­ but Pia Lieb. She says she worked the pity an­ sto quires a specialized asbestos abatement. gle with a sales representative who had told her there was almost no chance to nab for example, badgering managers at Sprint to free up a restricted "000" cell In the U.S. Budget Related hired a contractor in Decem­ enf 1110 a nice round number. "1 said 'You don't un­ number that was identical to his home Continued From Paye Ait ber to clean the ventilation system and derstand. My patients have poor memo­ phone number. ""That was complicated, government still expects for 200'2 a defi­ ducts in apartments. But when residents pre ries and they need me in emergencies!' ” but I convinced them to give it to me,” he cit at or below 3% of annual output, as complained that the contractor wasn't a fori The Verizon Wireless Inc. agent mined the says. When he offered to acquire five rules stipulate for countries that have licensed asbestos-abatement specialist, to database and scored Dr. Lieb her prize. new lines from AT&T, it was on the condi­ adopted the euro. But Hans Eichel. Ger­ work inside the apartments stopped and ran- tion that they give him precious ""thou­ many's finance minister, said re­ was never completed. par The sleekest models of cellphones sand numbers” only. The company did. themselves confer a certain status. But cently. "It will be close." Jeff Brodsky, president of Related acc He has turned down offers for free To keep the deficit within legal Management Co., an affiliate of the land­ he cute phones are now ubiquitous and af­ phones when he found out they came fordable. Round numbers are a new kind bounds, the government last week an­ lord, says, "1 wish I could get the resi­ gaii with ""ugly” numbers. nounced a spending freeze for the rest dents to let us finish the work we wanted tai of vanity plate. Tod:iy, each of Mr. Zampolli’s four per­ of this year and raised corporate in­ to complete.” The cleanup wasn’t legally agr Most companies charge a nominal fee sonal cellphone numbers end in three ze­ come taxes. The government also post­ Osh required or necessary for health reasons, of about .$25 to get a "00" number if they ros. Ditto the phone in his Mercedes, and poned for a year a lax cut that would mill he says. "There was no evidence of any have one available. the two cellphones for his driver. Want­ have benefited consumers and medium­ per: dust 1 front the Trade Center 1 in the build­ Phone carriers, which are typically ing to share the gift of cellular allure size companies. ing,” he adds. Instead, Related hired the less issued new cell numbers in blocks of with his girlfriend, he recently assigned France said earlier this week that its contractor "to put people at ease.” ei'S 10,000, aren't doing much to promote her one of the idle triple-zero numbers he economy may not grow fast enough next the the special numbers. A spokesman for has managed to hoard. AT&T Wireless Services Inc. says that year to balance its budget by 2004, as ^SJl JournalLInk; See uii interuclii e I Despite his prowess, Mr. Zampolli is previously promised. And economists UtiHerii of the kei) iilayers in the will they represent “a limited marketing op­ still irked that one carrier, Verizon, has have begun expressing doubts whether poivef striiyyle to rehiiitd ul the now portunity." A spokeswoman for Sprint so far failed to score him a triple-zero French government can cut taxes as ag-% World Trude Center site, in the Online shai Corp.’s Sprint PCS business declined to number. ""They promised me Ionel to get gressively as promised. Jonrnul at WSJ.com/JournalLinks. live

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